The recent advent of so-called “smart phones” and other wireless devices has increased wireless system usage for both data and voice services, thereby creating at least two problems in a changing infrastructure landscape. One problem is a secular trend with rising demand for infrastructure in specific geographic areas. This causes a need either to invest in additional infrastructure resources, including frequencies, hardware and software, at significant cost, or simply not to provide certain bit-heavy services in some cases. A second problem is a variation of the first problem. In an area with increasing or heavy demand, the level of demand will fluctuate according to season, time of day, the occurrence of specific events in the area, and due to other factors. If demand is relatively light, but the infrastructure capacity is inflexibly fixed, then there will likely be unused infrastructure capacity. If demand is relatively heavy, there may be insufficient infrastructure capacity to meet the demand.
One natural solution to the first problem, employed in the prior art, is simply to add system capacity. This may be an expensive solution, but given sufficient investment, the first problem might be solved temporarily. However, this solution does not solve, and indeed may exacerbate, the second problem of inflexible infrastructure.
What are needed are a system and a method with scalable and variable capacity to help alleviate both problems. This system and method would achieve resource flexibility to deal with the second problem, but at the same time achieve long-term increase of system capacity to deal with the first problem.